Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 2 delivered such an intense blow, revealing that the main villain this season would be less supernatural in nature and something that affects quite a lot of people—cancer. 

Coming off of Lois’ pregnancy scare, the cancer diagnosis wasn’t entirely surprising, but it was heartbreaking to watch her try to come to terms with it first, then share it in such a bold way with Judge Regan (and Clark) before finally clueing in her family that everything would be changing. 

Lois informed Clark of the inflammatory breast cancer, which is rare and aggressive, and I can’t help but think that everything that happened in the mines is somehow to blame. 

But that’s still my attempt at trying to deflect from the very real situation at hand, which will play a huge role this season. The “why” doesn’t matter, it’s the “how we fight it” that does.

As Clark mentioned, Lois is the strongest person he’s ever met—there’s no situation she isn’t equipped to handle—so there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s going to beat this. However, the road to the end likely won’t be pretty and will take a toll on her and her loved ones. She’s always been the source of support, but she’s going to need to rely on them more than ever. 

Personal matters are made even worse when there’s a menacing threat looming large, with Mannheim’s zombie-like experimental trials that involve Onomatopoeia, who just took out the former mayor, George Dean, in a rather gruesome way. It was evident that Dean got into bed with some bad people and they came for him almost immediately following the change of hands. 

Lana heard the whole thing go down, so it’s understandable that she was rattled. The jist of their deal or partnership was never made known to Lana, who took the reins as Mayor of Smallville, though Dean did give her a call right before his death to lead her to a mysterious USB hidden behind the seal in his office. 

Take this as a reminder never to plug in random and unknown USB drives because they can wreak havoc—and apparently summon the former mayor’s murderer, who created an office nightmare with papers flying everyone and laptops shattered into pieces. She also stole the drive, so we’ll never know what was on there, but thankfully, Lana and John Henry Irons got away unscathed. 

While not much is known about Mannheim and Onomatopoeia’s goals, the latter was pretty thrown off by the fact that John, who she recalls killing, was very much alive. I can understand how this would be confusing, but trust us, there’s a logical explanation!

In the Superman & Lois season premiere, things between Kyle and Chrissy heated up—and that spark is still there when they briefly meet up while working Dean’s crime scene—and now, Lana and John are giving me “soon-to-be” couple vibes. 

And honestly, what’s stopping them? Lana signed the papers, so she’s officially divorced from Kyle, there’s an evident connection between her and John, and she’s in the know about all the super secrets so he can be totally open and transparent with her. I’ll be honest, this transparency is refreshing. Nothing is standing in the way of John and Lana, especially as they are both single and lonely people who could, frankly, use the company. Plus, Sarah and Natalie are already like sisters anyway. 

Superman & Lois — “Uncontrollable Forces” — Image Number: SML302a_0236r — Pictured (L-R): Michael Bishop as Jonathan Kent and Alex Garfin as Jordan Kent — Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Before Jonathan and Jordan’s worlds came tumbling down with Lois’ cancer news, they experienced one carefree high school day, traveling to Metropolis for a party. Turns out, those Metropolis kids kind of suck—and are super stuck up. Not to mention, they don’t stand a chance against Sarah and Jordan in beer pong. The fact that they were dominating everyone didn’t sit well with the birthday boy, who tried to exert some kind of power move over Jordan before Sarah, his ex-turned-best-friend, stepped up to the plate and doused him with beer. 

The guy is lucky because Jordan is capable of so much more. People think it’s so fun to bully him because he’s different and quiet, which makes him an easy target, but Jordan could wipe the floor with that guy, and part of me wishes he did. Though, props to Jordan for having such a good grip on his powers and not losing his temper when it would have been totally valid. Plus, his payback idea was even more brilliant—icing the guy’s car seems like a pretty good use of superpowers. 

As for Clark and Lois’ time in Metropolis, they were teaming up like in the good old days for a story that involved questioning Judge Regan about her decision to reverse her decision and free Henry from prison. She chalked it up to his tumor, but when Lois pressed for more information, she hit a nerve with a team of “fixers” coming to shut down the interview and relay a message to Regan, who then proceeded to attempt jumping off the building.

Lois was able to talk her down by simply finding a way to connect and empathize with her. She didn’t have to dig hard because she was all too aware of what it felt like to deal with a situation that felt impossible and as though it had no resolution in sight. The one thing that matters most is that they stay strong and face the danger headfirst. 

Regan may be scared, and she has every right to be considering how things turned out for Dean, but she also has Superman on her side, who will do anything to protect her. She can tell her new superfriend everything she knows, and maybe, just maybe, he’ll be able to stop Mannheim and whatever plan he has in motion that involves reviving dead people.

He says he’s just helping his community, but that’s far from the truth if he’s actively killing people. 

What did you think of the episode? Do you think Lois will beat cancer? Will Sarah and Jordan find a way to stay just friends? Will Kyle and Chrissy go back to the formalities? Will Lana and John spark a romance? And how will everyone who knows Clark’s secret rally together to stop the new enemies?

The Company You Keep is proving to be a delightful new addition to Sunday nights, hooking in audiences with a heaping dose of chemistry and cons. 

The chemistry between Emma and Charlie has been palpable since day one, but the cons are the glue that holds it all together, providing an intense and thrilling hour of television. 

The how, the why, and the will they pull it off grips viewers, as does the fact that both Emma and Charlie are running their personal cons by keeping secrets from their loved ones—and each other—and living secret lives. 

It has to be exhausting to keep walking on eggshells the way Charlie does all the time, around everyone. He may know the right thing to say to get out of every precarious situation, but I’m not surprised that he’s realized he can’t go on living like this. 

If he wants a real shot at Emma, who he has genuine feelings for, he cannot keep playing this game. 

Of course, that’s underscored by the fact that working a con isn’t as fun when it’s to repay a debt to someone else. Daphne is lingering and putting everything at risk, forcing Charlie to take some big shots and promise to deliver a one lump sum payment of $10 million to get her off the family’s back. 

It’s a tall order—and a decision he made rogue without the family’s approval—but they fall in line eventually, even coming up with a winning plan to guarantee they walk away victorious and minimize danger. 

While I usually don’t care much for the mechanics behind the con, I’ll admit that this one was smooth, even if Leo briefly broke cover, and enjoyable to see pan out. This family really knows what they are doing.

Leo’s declining health is another layer that adds to the already-tense situation, leaving fans on the edge of their seats. 

Thankfully, Charlie was able to save face and the plan went off without a hitch. But with anything of this caliber, there was some unexpected turbulence, which in this case was Connor and his men, who surrounded Charlie and stole all the yacht money that he was going to use to repay Daphne. Not ideal, but hey, he did get away with his life, so I’d call that a success. 

The saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” applies in this situation think Daphne and Charlie/fam are going to have to team up in order to nab Connor. Connor doesn’t trust Daphne, calling her the “boss’s bastard,” which means Daphne needs Charlie and his family. They were so close to shaking her, but now, they’ll be more deeply engrained in each other’s orbit. 

Of course, Daphne’s presence jeopardizes Charlie’s relationship with Emma, so it isn’t ideal.

There’s also the little fact that Emma is trying to identify Daphne’s new revenue stream, which puts a target right on Charlie and his family, and after witnessing the ambush, she thinks she got a lead when she saw the little tiff with Connor. 

The duo locked eyes for a moment as he was driving away, but I doubt he got made. It was nearly impossible for her to be able to make the connection. Not only does she have blinders on because of her feelings for him, but it was dark, he was far away, and he had a ski mask on. There’s just no way for it to be believable. And any weirdness she’s getting from his could be chalked up to being abducted with a black bag over his head. 

Charlie now has the upper hand because he knows everything about Emma’s case—including that he’s her target—while also having information that she works for the CIA. I’m kind of surprised the CIA would reveal that to someone while doing a background check because of a red flag. It seems like the kind of thing you’d like to keep quiet about, especially since she’s an undercover agent. 

So far, Charlie’s name isn’t on their radar, but I don’t expect that to ring true for long considering Emma and Charlie’s romance is heating up. She’s bound to see or hear something. And since the series revealed her secret to him so early on, it means they aren’t dragging it out as some kind of big reveal—there’s a larger plan in place to integrate what some other shows may have considered to be cliffhangers in order to keep the mystery afloat.

Either way, things are only getting more and more complex as Charlie and Emma’s feelings deepen, which also means there’s more potential for them to get hurt, heartbroken,

Emma’s father wasn’t convinced by Charlie’s “act,” and props to pops for seeing through the bullshit, even if Charlie wants to be the guy deserving of Emma’s love and trust. 

It’s also a pot meets kettle situation because politics is a dirty game, and if Emma’s dad knows Claire, who promised to help David’s campaign, then that means he’s done his fair share of questionable things as well. And now David needs to play Claire’s game if he wants the funding and support, otherwise, his political career will be over. Wouldn’t it be intriguing if Claire somehow connected back to Connor and Daphne?

Charlie and Daphne are both skilled and resourceful—their strengths are being underutilized. But what if they were to put them to use for the CIA? If you can’t beat them, join them, right?

What did you think of the episode? Do you think Charlie and Emma are in over their heads? Should Leo be pulled off of the cons? He’s definitely a liability at this point, especially when the stakes are so high. 

Share your thoughts in the comments, Cravers! 

Could it be that Eileen and Roz have had Gloria Nanmac’s killer on their radar this whole time? And it isn’t Toby Crenshaw like the system and the state of Alaska wants everyone to believe on Alaska Daily Season 1 Episode 9. 

Eileen and Roz have been invested in Gloria’s case for months now, but as the story gained momentum, it suddenly began to spiral out of control and out of their grasp. With every publication all of a sudden invested, it was hard to keep up while still trying to prioritize the facts. 

I guess there is such a thing as too much attention on something. As Roz explained, the facts barely mattered anymore, all that anyone cared about is pinning it on someone, and as she underscored, it was especially convenient that it was a Native man. 

After years of not doing anything, the system and those benefiting from it were now taking all the credit for catching Gloria’s killer and patting themselves on the back when really, all they did was destroy yet another life by forcing a fake confession from an innocent man. 

The more Eileen and Roz dug into Toby as a prime suspect, the clearer it was that he was not their man. And they seemed to be the only ones doing their due diligence when it came to the story, which is concerning considering the huge press turnout at the event. 

The series actually highlighted a real issue within the journalism industry—cementing the idea that someone is guilty before they’re even given a fair trial. If people see the suspect blasted all over the front pages with a jumpsuit and handcuffs, they’ll be swayed into believing the narrative that’s being sold about him. Everyone seemed to have made up their minds about Toby as the follow-up piece questioning whether his confession was coerced—it was—didn’t get any clicks, traction, or community interest. Sensationalism sells, and it’s heartbreaking. 

But the truth is that Toby was in a loving relationship with Gloria, and deeply regrets not accompanying her to Skeeter’s party up in Meade on the evening of her death. He also regrets not picking up numerous phone calls that evening because of a little spat they had. If he did, maybe she’d still be alive. 

As Roz pointed out, feeling guilty and being guilty are not the same thing, so while he was willing to accept his fate, I’m glad someone was fighting for him. And that information was so crucial, it led to the break they so desperately needed in the case. So many people turned a blind eye to the broken system, which failed not only Gloria but also Toby, but the law won’t be able to avoid irrefutable proof like Gloria’s voicemail to Toby mere moments before she died in which she begged him to pick her up because she was scared. 

The call also came from another number, not Gloria’s, which gives Eileen and Roz something to work with. Though the number is now disconnected, it can potentially lead them to the killer as there’s a huge chance that it is the owner of the phone. And if not, at the very least, the killer was one of the last people to see Gloria alive and could have additional information. 

The upcoming promo seems to suggest that Ezra Fisher is responsible for Gloria’s death, but we’ve seen what rushing to judgment can do, so I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt until proven guilty. Or until he confesses willingly. 

There’s likely no shortage of suspects considering the party was full of sketchy people. 

Eileen and Roz may have made a few missteps, and started to feel as though they were complicit in pushing the case, but the reminder that they were the ones that lit the fire was necessary so that they would be motivated to regain control of the narrative and keep digging until they found something. 

They pushed for DNA testing, they pushed for accountability, and now, they need to bring it home and push for the justice system to actually work in favor of the people.

The Daily Alaskan knows a thing or two about ruffling feathers, and in addition to Gloria’s case, it did just that when Stanley took aim at Conrad Pritchard. The thing I love most about this is that Stanley didn’t care about the newspaper’s connection to the Pritchard, nor did he consider the implications it may have had for Aaron—he was determined to report the facts to prevent a potential environmental crisis. 

He didn’t jump the gun, however, assigning Claire and Austin to do some digging to get a full picture of what was happening before they sounded the alarms. 

Aaron wasn’t exactly thrilled to be exposing his father, particularly after he promised not to report on his deals if he would sell him the paper, but he also wasn’t against it as he understood that they owed it to the people. Conrad had a senator in his pocket to change legislation on protected lands to allow for mining, all so he could make more money. The greed never stops, and Conrad needs to be held accountable.

I’m glad that the apple fell entirely too far from the tree because, with each passing episode, Aaron’s character just gets better and better. 

Of course, Conrad then promised to wage war against his son and the newspaper, and while they might not have the funds he does, they have something much more powerful—the truth. 

Everyone in that newsroom is prepared for a fight because they are fully aware of the implications of their stories—both the good and the bad—so bring it on, Pritchard. 

And after picking up and throwing those cement blocks, you know Gabriel and Yuna are ready. 

What did you think of the episode?